My family and I were in Massachusetts recently, and we drove home through Rhode Island, the historical home of the Tanner family. I was surprised by what an emotional experience it was to visit since I have never done any genealogy on the line past John Tanner (1778-1850).
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| This small cemetery doesn't seem to have any ancestors, but it does have relatives. |
By about 1790, the Tanners left Rhode Island to settle in Washington County, New York, but previous to their departure, the family's connection to Rhode Island goes back to the founding of the colony.
Disclaimer: I am using others' work on the family lines and have not independently verified any of this information.
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| A marker telling some of the history of Hopkinton, Rhode Island, the birth place of John Tanner. |
One ancestor, Philip Sherman, became interested in the teachings of John Wheelwright and Anne Hutchinson, and left Massachusetts to found the community of Portsmouth. He was one of the signers of the Portsmouth Compact in 1638, "the first document in [American] history that severed both political and religious ties with mother England." (Wikipedia.)
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| "The Portsmouth Compact." In Isaac Backus, A History of New-England, with particular reference to the...Baptists, Boston: Edward Draper, 1777. |
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| A distant uncle's gravestone in Hopkinton, Rhode Island. |
Here is a list of some of the family names in the Tanner line accompanied by their locations as listed in the genealogy:
- Brownell (Portsmouth, Little Compton, Newport).
- Jenckes (Pawtucket, Providence, Warwick). A son of this family, Joseph Jenckes, was an early governor of Rhode Island. Here is a short but very interesting article that includes some information about his father and grandfather, our ancestors: Joseph Jenckes.
- Kenyon (Kingston, Westerley).
- Sherman (Portsmouth). See above.
- Mumford (Kingston). The Great Swamp Fight, a crucial battle during King Philip's War, took place on ancestor Thomas Mumford's land.
- Potter (South Kingston, Portsmouth). I took a quick look around a Potter family cemetery in South Kingston and saw a distant uncle's grave marker in Hopkinton.
- Sheldon (South Kingston).
- Sprague (Smithfield).
- Stanton (Newport).
- Tanner (South Kingston, Hopkinton).
- Tefft (Richmond, South Kingston, Providence).
- Tibbetts (Kingston, Portsmouth).
- Tripp (Portsmouth).
As you look at maps of Rhode Island, many streets and physical features are named after these families. It was an impressive experience to see the family homeland.
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| This South Kingston book store is run by a very distant Sherman cousin. The proprietor was very helpful. |
Since these family lines include founders of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and of our nation, many of the family lines have been thoroughly and accurately researched. Over the next several years I will start exploring this colonial American family history and its connection to the history of the Baptist churches in America and confirming the relationships (as possible). I will present the research here.
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| Who is Mary Tanner? How is she related to John Tanner? What is the meaning of the text on the gravestone about the Civil War? |
Mary is Mary Colgrove, first wife of John Tanner of Newport. John was a deacon in the Sabbatarian Baptist Church in Newport. He also was a silversmith. He left Newport when the British occupied the city during the revolution. This is the civil war mentioned on the gravestone.
ReplyDeleteJohn (1712-85) and his brother James (1714-82) were in Newport by 1735 or so. They were related to the other Rhode Island Tanners, but not descendents of William.
Thank you for the explanation! It reminds me that I need to put the gravestone photos onto FindaGrave.
ReplyDeleteI am tentatively planning on doing research on the Tanner lines in 2019 and 2020, but in the meantime, would you mind mentioning some of the sources you've found helpful in researching these family lines?
Hi,
ReplyDeleteStart with the two books by George Tanner:
"William Tanner of North Kingstown, Rhode Island, and his descendants," George C. Tanner, published by the author in 1905
"William Tanner, Sr. of South Kingston, Rhode Island and his descendants: In four parts," George C Tanner published by the author in 1910.
The 1905 book follows the descendents of William Tanner, Jr, first son of William Tanner, Sr. The 1910 book describes the descendents of the other four sons of William Sr.
Both books are available as reprints and, occasionally, used. Alibris has them
There is also "Genealogy of the descendants of Thomas Tanner, sr., of Cornwall, Connecticut, with brief notes of several allied families, also short sketches of several towns of their early residence," Eilas F. Tanner, 1893. Thomas is a contemporary of William, Sr. and probably a relative. Many of his descendents wound up in Utah as part of the Mormon migration there.
Fourth, there is "SIDNEY TANNER - His Ancestors and Descendants - Pioneer Freighter of the West 1809-1895" by Compiled By: Elizabeth De Brouwer (1982). This one starts in New York, where many RI Tanners moved between 1790 and 1810. I think the connection made to the earlier
Rhode Island branch is a bit fanciful.
Finally, a few years ago Terri J McSweeny published "A Guide to the Descendants of William Tanner of South Kingston, Rhode Island (2 Volume Set)." It has lots of names but less personal information than the others.
best wishes,
David
The first books you listed are available for free download at books.familysearch.org. I'd add links but the site is down for maintenance. I think they're also available at Google Books. I'll keep my eyes open for the Elias Tanner and McSweeny books. I have a copy of the DeBrouwer book and it is of mixed usefulness since much of it is lists of descendants.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, David! I do look forward to piecing together the Tanner genealogy. (Unless some other intrepid soul wants to do it, in which case I'll add links to the website.)